Page 14 - i1052-5173-26-11

2016 Honorary Fellow

GSA is pleased to announce continental origin of ultrahigh-pressure eclogites from the Dabie
the selection of the Society’s 2016 Mountains of China. This work has profound implications for
Honorary Fellow: subduction of the continental crust.

Bor-ming Jahn, whose lifetime Jahn has independently or jointly published more than 200
peer-reviewed academic articles and been cited more than 14,800
of research has been devoted to the times. He was the chief editor of the Journal of Asian Earth
problems of continental evolution Sciences from 2006 to 2016. And, he was elected as an academician
using the principles and techniques of of Academia Sinica for his academic achievements in 2012. He is
isotope tracers (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-O), also a fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America, Geochemical
geochemistry, and geochronology. Society, and European Association of Geochemistry.
His studies extend to all continents,
but his most significant contribution A preeminent scientist, Jahn received the Chevalier dans l’ordre
is in Asia. des Palmes Académiques. He was also awarded the Prestwich
Prize by the Geological Society of France in 2013, and the
Honorary Fellowship is presented to an international geoscien- International Prize by the Geological Society of Japan in 2014.
tist who has distinguished him or herself in geoscience investiga- Most recently, he was honored with the V.K. Ting Award by the
tions, promoting environmental awareness, linking science and Geological Society of China (Taiwan).
society, providing notable service to implementing public policy
GSA TODAY | NOVEMBER 2016 in natural resource managements, or otherwise making
outstanding contributions to science. This award was presented at
the GSA Awards Ceremony during the 2016 GSA Annual Meeting
in September.

Trained as a geochemist, Bor-ming Jahn employs the principles
and techniques of elemental and isotope (Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-O)
geochemistry to tackle important issues like the evolution of the
upper mantle, continental crust growth, genesis of magmatic
rocks (komatiite, basalt, and granitoids), geochemistry of sedi-
mentary rocks, composition of the upper crust, evolution of
Archean craton, continental subduction, ultrahigh-pressure meta-
morphism, geochemistry of loess, and paleoclimate change.

Jahn has made important contributions to the research on the
Central Asian Orogenic Belt across China, Russia, and Central
Asia. By presenting solid evidence for massive generation of juve-
nile crust in northern China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and
southern Siberia (collectively termed the Central Asian Orogenic
Belt), he established the region as the world’s most important site
of juvenile crustal accretion in the Phanerozoic era and challenged
traditional ideas about Earth’s rate of continental growth. His
impressive work in this area has undoubtedly promoted a new
field of study and inspired numerous research activities on this
subject. In fact, since 1999, published papers related to this new
field have grown twentyfold.

Jahn’s research on ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rock has
modified the traditional theory of plate tectonics, which held that
the continental crust could not subduct. Instead, he has proven
that it could subduct to a depth of 100–200 km. His analysis of
the chemical composition of loess has provided a greater under-
standing of research on ancient crust and paleoclimate changes.
Jahn’s five articles published on this topic have been cited more
than 700 times. He also used Sr-Nd isotope data to argue for the

14